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2015.08.26 - School Lunch Sux
First day of Beacon Hills High and Grey has spent the whole day getting lost, he's had some help from Liam and a couple of directional tweets from Stiles but he still managed to get himself lost but finally the lunch bell has rang and he has managed to find the cafeteria, he just followed the scent of something that smelled sort of like food and it lead him there. Now carrying a tray of what he's been assured is edible food Grey is looking round for somewhere to sit, Liam's not quite here yet so where to go... Lucky kids! They got Brock as their lunch monitor. That's because he's so good at watching things, and he can be really imposing should anything like a fight or something break out. But this is the first day of school, who does that?! So far now, the giant, rugged, blonde Australian gym teacher meanders around the room like a lazy lion, yawning and paying lax attention to the kids as they go about their foodstuffs. In actuality, a fight might be the end of his boredom. There are of course whispers and things happening about the new gym teacher. Not to mention, a few of the female teachers in a small group, watching and fanning themselves as they rumor and gossip about the large man in the lunch room. Aiden Carver has been growly all day. He dislikes school to begin with. Ethan isn't here. There's been no sign of Lydia. He hasn't seen McCall all morning. He's gone out of his to avoid running into the Dunbar brothers. And just to make sure he's extra miserable, he has to take pre-calculus this semester. And he hates math! So by the time lunch rolls around, he's ready to ditch the rest of the day and go find something (or someone) to punch. But just as he gets to the doors, he gets a text from Ethan, reminding him he needs to stay enrolled and make nice with McCall. Grumbling under his breath, he stomps toward the cafeteria, shoulders hunched and eyes narrowed. Freshmen scatter before him, girls whisper behind their binders, and guys pretend they don't even notice him. Stiles has elected for the burger and tater tots with fruit salad and a bottle of water. He comes up beside Grey and greets him with a grin. "Hey, dude," he calls over. "C'mon, got us a table picked out." And he leads the way to that back table where nobody ever sits. Except, usually, him and Scott. Sometimes Allison or Lydia, though they aren't around just now. For that matter, neither is Scott, but... well. Scott's a busy guy. Alpha stuff. Team captain stuff. You know how it is. So, Stiles seeks to establish their presence at Their Table, with Grey in tow. Eve had been quite enjoying herself on her first day of high school. Make a great impression and exalt herself into the lofty realm of the popular kids? Check. So far, so good. But now to taste the fruit of her labors, and make lasting friendships with her prominent peers. After waiting in line for who knows how long, she at last procures a tray and fills it with this High School's food. As it happens however, 'food' is a massive overstatement. With each progressive item placed upon her tray, her glamorously glossy lips crease from an enthusiastic smile to a worried frown. Well, this is certainly an inauspicious beginning of lunch break. Mystery meat, fruit bowl, uncertainly cooked spaghetti, and some dried out salad, alongside a carton of orange juice. That's when she notices Aiden Carver. The girls were already talking about him earlier in the day, and one of them even stole a picture with her phone. So when she steps out of the lunch line with tray to hand, she gives the dangerously handsome man one of her best smiles, "hey...Aiden." Please be Aiden! "I like your shirt." God, what a lame compliment. She stands there nervously, waiting for a response. Grey Dunbar smiles when Stiles shows up and shows him where to sit, "Thanks man, and thanks for the tip on economics class, though it was kinda odd", he follows him to the table, "That Coach Finstock is... animated? and kept talking about Lacrosse during class", he raises an eyebrow at his tray and chooses to ignore it for now, "So, you manage to sort out that issue the other night?" Just a few short seconds before Stiles and Grey claim that nobody-table, Kay slips her near-empty tray thereon, and sits her butt down at the corner seat of the far end--about as far away from the boys as she can get. Aside from a short glance, both of the boys are shyly ignored (there's plenty of space at the table for all of them), and she leans over to futz about in her very unremarkable and utilitarian backpack to pull out a thermos of some kind. That... appears to be the bulk of her lunch. She's obviously an athletic sort, and pretty enough--her clothes also make a very utilitarian attempt at fashion. But it's just an attempt. The pretty is really all in her face. To those hip with the gossip... this must be the new bad-girl chick who's almost too old for high school--an 18-year-old Junior?--with a reputation for failing grades. Brock does his best to sorta not stand out. But he can't really help that, given how things work for him. None the lest, Brock goes to slip over behind Stiles, or more or less beside him, so that he can attempt to reach out for the boy's plate and pluck three of his tater tots from the tray. He isn't sneaky about it, in fact he makes sure that Stiles sees him, which would give the boy enough time to protect his food from Brock's attempts, if he were gonna try any further. But the large man just grins at the human boy like a big brother that just took the smaller's food and dares him to go tell, "Howdy there, Stilltski. We behavin' ourselves are we? Not foolin round with the fire equipment? Not kickin over trash?" No, Brock didn't forget. He's being an elephant about that one. Aiden Carver gets two burgers, tater tots, and a can of cola. Also the carrot cake, and he glares around, daring anyone to make fun of his selection. Satisfied that no one is going to titter about his carrot cake, he starts stomping toward that same back table, eyes locked on Stilinski, when suddenly, there's a girl blocking his path. His brows draw together in confusion as he looks down at the shirt. Oh right. It's about two sizes too small, clinging tightly to his muscles and revealing a sliver of bare abdomen just above the waistband of his jeans. Pale purple, with a triangle logo with a yellow Z, it's recognizable to anyone who remembers the old Superfriends show from the 1970s -- the logo of Zan, the male Wonder Twin. It's ridiculous, all the moreso because Ethan isn't here in his matching Jayna shirt. "Uh, thanks," he grunts to Eve, his expression softening. "Sorta a tradition, first day of school and all. Probably time to have a new one made though. Uh. Who're you? I mean, I'm Aiden. Hi." Stiles glares at Brock and says evenly, "You know, Coach, that's bullying, and I don't have to take it." And, without further comment, he turns and goes to sit at the table. He's so annoyed now that he doesn't even argue about Kay sitting there, just toes to the opposite end. He nods to Grey, agitated now but still well-disposed toward the kid for being Liam's brother. "The head coach is great. Everyone loves him, pretty much. But he's kinda nuts. It's all part of his charm." He grumbles. It had to be the tots. They're the only decent thing on the menu unless it's taco tuesday. "Anyway, no problem. And... eh. I got enough clothes. I don't worry about that stuff." Eve lets out a small breath of relief when Aiden seems to appreciate her compliment, if only mildly. She gives him a cheerful nod, giggling a bit at his question, "oh, right, sorry. I'm Eve, Ethan's friend." Well, they met at least! "You look like some sort of like, superhero. Wearing that yellow Z thing." She hesitates, realizing for a moment how awkward that comment might be, "u-umm..." She shakes her head, quickly moving on, "anyway. Would you like to sit with me?" Light bulb moment. "Maybe...we could share stories about our brothers?" She forces out another giggle, glancing around a bit to give her time to think. When she does, her eyes widen upon sighting Brock. She leans closer to Aiden and whispers, "I saw that guy bullying some kid at Sinema. Does he actually work here?" As Stiles sits, the familiar sliding sound of cheap tray-plastic against table greets him. It was Kay's tray, with tater tots being the only thing on it. She smiles at both him and Grey, hand still on the table from where she gently pushed the thing. No words accompany the gesture--just that smile, and then she leaves the boys to their chatter, resuming her shy this-is-my-space-over-here routine while she sips from thermos and opens a notebook. A few furtive glances upward gives her a view of Brock, Aiden, and Eve. Incidentally, that particular seat gives her a fantastic, tactically-sound view of the entire lunch area. Grey Dunbar gives Brock a dark look that looks out of place on the normally shy teen, Stiles has tried to help him so he's not gonna take kindly to him picking on him, when he sits down it seems he had the same idea as Kay as he goes to give Stiles his tots, he grins at Kay finding it funny that he's on the same wavelength as her and the fact that Stiles now has double the tots, a "Hey", is offered to Kay. "Now now," Brock tuts as he slides over to where Stiles plops down, and he drops a 5 spot on the table right next to him, "No need gettin twisted over it. Ah'm just tryin ta fill this hour with some interestin conversation. Just some light ribbin, mate. Thanks fer the share by the way." Brock's blue eyes get a glance at Grey and the girl sitting down the corner from their table. "Ain't seen ya in a little while. Looks like ya made a new friend at least." Meaning Grey, and then a glance down the way at Kay, "An maybe another. She looks a little lonely down there. Might extend some of those friendly makin skills ya possess, invite her down aye?" Stiles gives Brock a look of barely controlled bile, but he takes the five-spot, and slides it across to Grey. "Here," he indicates. "Call it a 'welcome to Beacon Hills High' gift." And he gives Grey a thankful smile, too. As for Kay, he glances over at her, quirks an eyebrow, and--perhaps to spite Brock--offers her a smile as well. "Hey, as long as your tray's over here, you could come and be sociable. I mean... if you can get past sitting with a junior and an underclassman." Such things obviously mean little to Stiles, much like he cares nothing for fashion or the opinions of others about it. Aiden Carver squints at Eve for a few moments, then gives a shrug of one shoulder. "Sure, why not? That table." He nods to the table where Stiles, Grey, and Kay are currently sitting, then takes a look in Brock's direction. "Oh yeah, him. Coach Bryant, I think. He's new, teaches gym." He pauses mid-step, turning back to Eve again. "Wait, you know Ethan? When'd you see him last?" He looks her up and down, appraising her looks, then gives a small grin as he continues to back table. "Yo, Stilinski," he says, sitting right next to the boy, because that's not at all awkward. "This is Ethan's friend, Eve. That's Stiles, that's Grey." He nods toward Grey, both as a greeting and to indicate to Eve who he means. Then he lifts the top bun one of his burgers and uses his knife to scrape off the pickles, because yuck! Who ruins perfectly good meat by slapping fruit on it? Aiden looks down the table to Kay, frowning. "Don't know who she is. But the guy looming over us is Coach Bryant, like I said. Hey, Coach. Ain't there a rule against teachers eating with students?" "Hi," Kay says to both Grey and Stiles, just a mite bashful. Her voice a sweet alto. She lifts a hand, scrunching her shoulders so she looks a little smaller. "Oh, sure," she adds, taken a bit by surprise when invited down--either by the coach or Stiles. She scoots a few seats close to Stiles, dragging along her backpack, notebook, and thermos. "Hi," she says again, with a shy laugh, dragging fingers through her hair. "Name's Kay." Apparently class status doesn't seem to bother her a lick. "Nice to meet you." Eve glances towards the indicated table idly, as happy as can be that Aiden agreed. Her cheerfulness falters ever so slightly to see Stiles there, plus the fact that she might find herself treacherously close to Brock. But then her eyes gleam warmly at Grey, and she offers a reluctant nod of her head, "ok." She blinks up, "wait, so he's the school Coach? Does he umm...who teaches the swimming team?" She swallows nervously at the rising possibility, though she answers Aiden's own question with a somewhat distracted, "oh, you know. Here and there. The last time I saw him was probably...Saturday, at the mall. I helped him pick out a wardrobe for...for Grey." It takes her a moment, but she shuffles to follow Aiden towards the table, pursing her lips when Stiles is instantly introduced to her, "we err...already met before, actually..." When Aiden sits down, she does so beside him, placing her tray on the table. Just then, she can be seen cringing worriedly when her new acquaintance starts chatting directly with the Coach. Will he push Aiden too, like he did to Sly at Sinema? As Stiles gives a welcome to Kay, Brock firmly pats the young man on his shoulder, and leaves him to his thing. As to the looks that he gets, Brock receives them, with that big old bored lion yawn of his, and just starts to lumber about continuing to watch kids. His eyes move over to lock onto Aiden after a moment and he just smirks at him, "Ah think yer the last one ta be pointin out rules, aye there Carver? Sides, don't look like I got a tray, no food, not even a sports bottle or coffee. A snack ain't against the rules anyway." He does give Aiden a look over however, like he's gauging the youth on something, "You're lookin a might tense there today, Carver. Somethin on yer mind?" A blond brow raising. Grey Dunbar grins and gives Eve a wave, he's actually currently wearing one of the outfits Eve picked out the other day, he grins as Stiles hands him the five bucks, "I'll keep it in case of emergency tot rashons", Aiden gets a nervous nod, last he heard he was in big trouble, "Hey Kay, Gray, and thats Stiles, Aiden and Eve", he doesn't know the name of the guy that smells of unwashed cat. "Nice to meetcha," Stiles says to Kay with a friendly smile, and then Aiden suddenly sits between them. He sighs slightly but makes an effort to be civil lightly toying with the hamburger on his plate as if considering whether he's serious about eating it. Then he seems to decide and picks it up. "Welcome back," he says to Aiden, evenly. His grin resurfaces at Grey's words, though, and he laughs a little. "Yeah, you'll fit in fine," he declares. Finally, he casts a wary eye at Eve. After a few moments, he just nods and says, "Eve." He doesn't really seem to know what to say, but his tone is carefully polite, all the same. Then, with a sigh, he bites into the burger. A second later, as he chews, he makes that ''face. You know: ''high school cafeteria hamburger face. Aiden Carver puts the bun back on his burger, then suddenly lifts his plate and dumps all the tater tots onto Stiles's plate, eyes locked on Brock. "My mind's a complete blank, Coach," he says with the fakest grin ever. "Just waiting to be filled up with all the knowledge and wisdom our fine school has to offer." He then takes a massive chomp of his burger and cracks open his soda. Chew-chew-swallow. He turns to Stiles then. "Thanks, man. Listen, I need to talk to McCall. You know that, right? Oh yeah, also. Ethan said he left my copy of the house key with you. Getting' tired of having to pick my own front door's lock, ya know?" Eve grins right back at Grey, giving him a good once-over, "looking good, Dunbar. I knew you could choose smartly." When she hears Kay's name, she nods a greeting, though there's a certain fakeness to her smile. She heard that name before, now that she has enmeshed herself in the local gossip machine. Could she -really- be an eighteen year old Junior? Aloud, she states, "it's nice to meet you, Kay." She looks up at the eldest among them, "Coach Bryant. Hey...do you coach the swim team, by any chance?" Hearing her name again, she glances to Stiles. After a moment, she gives a similar nod and an even-toned, "Stiles." But then she bursts out into giggles at his following expression, "oh god. Is it that bad?" With but a thought, she hoists up her own mystery meat and places it on Stiles' plate, alongside the donated tater tots. Then she looks askance at Aiden, "you can pick locks?" Being entirely new, Kay doesn't seem to have much to say in general other than "Hi," in that slightly timid way, when others point at and/or greet her. "I'm Kay," she says, to make sure everyone heard her name. There seems to be some important byplay here she's missing, so he deigns to just stay quiet and listen. There's also that she can Sense some of their judgement (Eve) and, not wanting to feed the rumors, finds it easier to just look quiet and unassuming. So she takes another gulp from her thermos and sighs a little, surveying the lunch room like a battlefield she's just not quite ready to take on yet. "Do you... want some help with that?" She offers Stiles, since his tray has grown into a veritable mountain of food Kay Castillo . Amidst the tumult of the lunch hour, a certain librarian pops his head into the cafeteria, scanning amongst the heads for... ah! Brock. Stepping fully into the room, his immaculate suit becomes clear--probably overdressed for his position, but he looks fashionable and dapper all the same. Even his beard is manicured. "Brock," he says, after clearing his throat. Grey Dunbar grins at Stiles ever increasing pile of tots, "At least you have plenty of tots to wash the taste down with?", he tries a safe option and picks up a jello cup from his own tray, how bad can the jello be? "Dear god, when did this expire?", he grins at Eve when she says he looks nice, "You finding your way around? I keep getting lost", he can tell somethings up with Key so offers her a smile, "You ok?", he looks up as another teacher shows up, this keeps up and the table will get a bad reputation. "Uh huh." Brock comments to Aiden, like he doesn't believe him. Cause he doesn't! "Well, if ya ever wanna blow off a bitta that steam ya got under yer collar. Ya should meet me after the bells, and ah'll take ya in a spar. " The large man grins a little, "Ya get ta come at me as hard as ya can, not everyday that ya get the chance to beat on the coach and it be alright, aye?" There is a method to Brock's offer there, one that he doesn't freely let out right now, in the lunch room. A large hand comes and pulls his hand back through his luxurious hair, giving a sigh as he returns to guarding duty or whatever. As LJ shows up though, Brock brightens, because man! Finally! Someone besides these kids to talk to. "Ah! LJ, ya on your lunch break?" As Stiles' plate is heaped with tater tots, he just puts the burger down and nudges the mystery meet aside with his fork. He's not above a carb-loaded lunch. He pops a tot into his mouth, chewing cheerfully, and declares, "I don't care what ''Coach Brock says about you guys. You're all cool." Apparently the gestures of solidarity have done a lot to turn his mood around. He even smiles at Eve! Then, to Aiden, he nods. "Yeah, I know. Scott's got a lot on his plate right now." He glances down at his plate, then gestures illustratively. "Y'know. Stuff. But I'll let him know, okay?" He grins at Kay, sliding his tray a bit into the center of the table, and says, "Since it looks like we're suddenly dining family style, have at!" Aiden Carver takes another huge bite of burger, apparently not minding the flavor (so long as there are no pickles) and gives a noncommittal shrug to Brock. Washing down the burger with a long gulp of cola, he nods to Stiles. "It's cool. But I really need that key." He glances over to Eve, grinning then. "Only when I'm locked outta my own house and don't know there's some stranger living in the guest room. And another stranger sleeping in my brother's bed. Neither of which came downstairs to let me in at four o'clock Sunday morning." Eve gives Kay a bemused expression to hear her repeat her own name, despite introductions. In any case, she decides it's high time to finally test out her meal. She begins by whetting her appetite with a sip of her cartoned orange juice. That wasn't so bad. Next, she tests the salad. Ok, the lettuce isn't precisely crunchy, but she can live with it thus far. Now for the fruit bowl. Wow, the peaches, pears, and cherries are delicious! She takes a second bite. No, a third! A fourth, even. She can hardly help herself. Before she knows it, she is shoveling down the fruit and simply can't stop until it's all gone. Suddenly, she abruptly blinks out of her reverie with stunned awe, "the fruit cup. It's...amazing." While trying not to make a show of it, she peers around the table for more, all while idly answering questions left and right, "finding my way around? Yeah, pretty well. I got lost at first, but the school isn't too confusing to manuever through. She seems at least slightly disarmed by Stiles' sudden joyfulness, affording him an arched brow. Well, if he smiled at her for the meat, then he'll be rejoicing at her likely undercooked spiral spaghetti smothered in cheap sauce. She picks up the plastic plate containing it and sets it down on Stiles' tray as well. Then she rewards him with a similar smile he gave her, even if hers is a tad mocking. But then he slides his entire tray into the middle, and she swipes at his fruit cup like she hadn't eaten in days. She giggles up at Aiden while opening the lid, "that's really impressive. I would love to know how to pick a lock. And I know exactly how annoying brothers can be. Mine is -such- a pain, and at least half the time I bet it's on purpose." She digs in to the fruit cup with a satisfied groan, even if the sound causes her a bit of minor embarrassment. Briefly, LJ motions Brock over, away from the bulk of the teens. He glances around the lunch room, to make certain eavesdropping will be kept to a minimum. "Will you be free some evenings this week?" And because that sounds like a proposition, he clears his throat again, and adds. "There's something I need to talk to you about, away from the school." Reaching out with graceful, dextrous fingers, Kay plucks a single tot from the pile and pops it in her mouth. She smiles around her chewing, like doing so is a welcome intitiation into a new group of peers. "I'm ok," she says to Gray, still a bit bashful. "Just new. ...So, um. What classes do you guys have?" And then, because his name keeps getting thrown around. "Who is... Scott? McCall? Is he someone I should know? He sounds really popular." She otherwise shrugs off the weirdness of Aiden and his house--her own family has done stranger things. Grey Dunbar drops the empty jello cup on his tray in discust, "Is serving this stuff even legal? Oh god theres an aftertaste", he goes red at Aiden's comment being one of said strangers, "We didn't hear you and Ethan said not to answer the door anyways", also he was going though one of his mom's books at the time and attempting a spell had stuck him in demon mode, he chuckles at as Eve attacks the fruit cups, "Chill no ones taking your precious fruit cup", precious said in the class Gollum voice, "Scott is Ms. McCall son right? The woman from the other night?" Brock blinks as LJ mentions something that isn't exactly school related, and possibly unknown content that could sensitive material. So the large man just sorta stands there, scratching the back of his head for a second, "Uh... alright. Ah should be around if ya need me. Ya know where it is ah'm stayin." It is one of the very few moments that one can see Brock showing awkwardness. The lion is a little confused, a little anxious, and a bit excited to hear what this talk is to be about. Stiles blinks, shaking his head, and says, "Sorry. Tots-induced space-out." He digs in his pocket, producing his key-ring, and removes one carefully. Then he holds it out to Aiden. "There you go. And don't worry. I didn't even make a copy." Eve makes him break into a genuinely warn grin, and he laughs lightly--though not mockingly--at her enthusiasm. "Hey, okay, nice to see someone here can appreciate the options." Mystified but clearly in better spirits now, he opens up his water and takes a swig, chuckling faintly to himself. He grins over at Kay and says, "Scott's just the school's most eligible bachelor." Glancing over toward the more popular tables, he amends, "Well, unless you count Danny, but--" he shrugs. "Scott's the most eligible bachelor who likes ''girls." He reaches up to pat Aiden on the shoulder. "Sorry, big guy. You're a close second." He can't help being slightly hard on the guy. He stole Lydia's heart, after all. He nods to Grey, too. "Yep." Then, to Kay, he says, "I had math, free period, and history this morning. After lunch is English and... some other stuff." He shrugs, apparently not considering it too vital. While he does catch some of the teacher-talk, too, he doesn't pay it much mind. Aiden Carver shrugs to Eve, finishing off his first burger. "It's not that hard with a normal lock. I guess. I dunno." He gives his head a shake, then stabs at his carrot cake with the fork. He's just about to bite, when Stiles offers him the key. "Ah thanks, man. You're a lifesaver." He leans back, digging in the front pocket of his jeans until he finds his motorcycle key, then puts the house key on the same ring, before stuffing them back in the pocket. Then he gives Stiles a small frown, but shrugs it off a moment later when he looks at Grey. Lifting his fork again, he points it at the smaller teen. "And don't think I forgot about the hot water. Because I didn't. You better sleep with one eye open tonight." Eve blinks up at Kay in wonder, though she offers a companionable smile, "you're new too? That's pretty cool. I just got to Beacon Hills like, a week ago. Not even." She makes a show of thinking about Kay's question, "well...I know Mister Tidesworth is teaching Social Sciences to Juniors." She cants her head to the side with only partially faux curiosity, "sooo...what sorts of classes do you have?" She feels her cheeks warm when Grey calls her out on the fruit cup in a Gollum voice, and even Stiles catches on, "it...i-it's really good...I just hope to god it's not too sugary or caloric. I can't be crashing when I try out for the swim team." Still, she can't help herself but steal one of Stiles' tater tots. Tots were God's gift to humanity, and it be an insult not to have one. Or two. Or...not again. She sighs and goes back to snacking on that second fruit cup. She shifts shyly as Stiles talks about the hot and popular boys, especially as she's sitting close enough to one that their thighs practically touch. Hoping to move the conversation to something more personally constructive, she giggles up at Aiden and beams, "I bet you make it seem easy. I'm sure I could never manage it myself..." The note about boys has Kay blushing again. Has she even ever dated? Anyways, there's a soft groan from her as conversation moves on and Stiles lists off his classes. "I'm terrible at all of those. About all I'm good for is chemistry and PE. Please tell me one of you can help me study!" That's a sincere cry for help. Honestly, Kay looks so embarassed, but at least she's asking; it lends some merit to the rumors about her terrible grades. "I've got math, social studies, chemistry... and some others," she says. "Probably english." Because fate hates her. "But I'm glad to hear I'm not the only new girl," she says to Eve. Regardless of whatever the other girl may think about her, Kay still offers Eve a genuine smile. Really, she's just full of smiles. She seems to actually, sincerely be that sweet. She even laughs about the fruit cup! But then, motorcycle keys! "Oh!" she says, pointing. "I drive a motorcycle, too! What do you drive?" Just to avoid any further chance of awkward rumors, LJ waves a hand and leaves the personal chatter at that. "We'll speak more about it later." And now, on to the awkward small talk. "So. How's the first day been treating you?" The Scotsman in his voice really begins to come out, now that he's not trying to be all surrepticious. Grey Dunbar gulps and goes bright red at Aiden's comment about the hot water and decides to duck back a little behind Stiles so he's a little more out of sight of the more intimidating Aiden. "Well it's a little difficult, what with ones like Stilinski an the trouble twins, and McCall. A little bit tense, if ya know what ah mean. Makes me wish me bro we around. He'd know how ta handle all this tension. He's more like a scalpel where as I'm more like a hammer. Ta everythin..." In which Brock gives a broad chuckles to that analogy. "But other than that--" Brock takes a sweeping look at the cafeteria and sucks in a breath, "Ah'm kinda thinkin that ah never wanna have kids of mah own." the lion grins. Aiden Carver quirks a brow in Kay's direction, nostrils flaring just a bit. "A Ducati 1098S," he says casually. "You?" He finally gets a bit of cake to his mouth, and he immediately wrinkles his nose. It's not as bad as the burger, but it's still not good. With a sigh, he takes a long guzzle of soda, then goes back to eating the cake. Glancing at Eve, he shrugs again. "You'll never hafta pick a lock yourself. You're a cute girl. Bat your eyes, and guys will do it for you." Stiles shakes his head a bit at Eve and says, as carefully as he can, "If you take swimming as seriously as you take fashion, you'll probably make team captain." He grins at her a little, if awkwardly, clearly trying to mend fences a bit. He lightly claps a hand on Grey's shoulder, as if to reassure him, and then nudges Aiden in the ribs. "No picking on my semi-little-bro's bro, Thing2. Not cool." He shoots Brock a look when he hears his name, but he keeps his mouth shut. To Kay, he says, "Chemistry? I'm not bad. But if you get a chance to make friends with Lydia, she's the expert." Eve finds herself pretty soundly disarmed by all of Kay's smiles and cries for help and timidity, that she cannot stop herself when she gives a genuinely warm up-turning of lips back. Giggling tentatively, she states, "I'm pretty much the same, Kay. Great at PE...not so much the other classes." She shrugs her shoulders self-conciously, "I...wouldn't mind some help with chem..." She carefully extends the olive branch with that proclamation, starting to feel uncomfortable for being mean to such a sweet person. On the other hand, she encounters an entirely different form of disarmament when Aiden chooses to point out her beauty rather than teach her to pick locks, "ummm...excuse you, but just because I'm 'cute' doesn't mean I plan to glide through life on my looks alone." She puts an inch or two of space between herself and Aiden, giving him a skeptical look. Gladly, she pointedly turns to look at Stiles and smile, "thanks. I'd really like to. I've been swimming competitively for years now. It's just so difficult to figure out what I want to do with my life, you know? I have two more years left and then there's college..." Her eyes gleam cheerfully. Whether because of Aiden's comment or Stiles' attempt, those fences are practically starting to mend themselves. "I love the Ducati models," Kay says, actually perking up somewhat. "They're really hard to get ahold of, though. At least, the nicer, newer ones. I've got a sentimental attachment to my Hayabusa, though. It was my first, and it's such a pretty bike." If by pretty, you mean, sleek, sexy, black and topped-the-speed-charts-for-years. Such a girl. To Stiles, "Lydia? I think I've heard that name around. She sounds really smart! Are you sure she'd be willing to help me out?" But when Eve offers, Kay becomes positively radiant, "Yes! That sounds great. I've always had a talent for chemistry. If you can help me out with anything else, that would be so amazing!" As for pretty-talk, Kay goes back to being timid. She plucks a bit self-conciously at her tank, which, while not awful, won't be winning her any awards. LJ appears to find the idea of children rather distasteful. It shows in his dour expression. Far too much work to do to be perenially babysitting, he seems to say, without actually saying it. "I really should get to know them better," he does say, however, regarding the aforementioned teens. With his head, he gestures towards Stiles. He doesn't say anything further, but the following, slight head-shake seems to insinuate there's something... off. "I'm sorry about your brother," he says again. He seems to say that a lot. And he is sincerely concerned about it, but there's little to be done at the moment. Grey Dunbar gives Stiles a thankfull smile before adding to the conversation, "Before I came here I was on my school swim team, that and hockey". Grabbing a drink he takes a sip, "So what do folks do for fun around herem I've been to that Sinema place but is there anywhere in particular?" "Don worry bout it." Brock remarks dismissively to LJ's comment, "Ah'm sure it'll work itself out." But there is a certain anxiousness about him, as if he were wanting to escape. "Anyway. Ah'm not sure they wanna know me much." Brock folds his arms over his chest, giving a sigh and looking over at the table of kids, "An ah suppose that's fine. Kinna been doin some thinkin lately. Been wonderin if ah actually need anybody at all." The words are spoken on the surface, just sort of spoken out. He rethinks for a second, "Ah mean, like them that is. They're a bit young, so what do ah gotta offer right?" Brock is so into playing the role of someone around 26 or so, looking and acting the part, that it escapes that he is barely out of his teens by maybe a year or so himself. "Lyida's the most popular girl in school," Stiles says to Kay with an air of loyalty. "She's also the smartest girl in school. She'd be good at helping." He nods to Eve. "Anyway," he says with a shrug, "I bet you'll do great." He shrugs a little at Grey. "Eh, whatever, I guess? There's the mall. Pizza place. I dunno." He trails off, seeming to get a bit lost in thought. Not like there hasn't been plenty enough in his life lately to keep him busy. He's lost track of the teacher-chatter at this point. Aiden Carver isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, so he misses Eve's point entirely. Shrugging, he finishes his cake, then his soda, and leaves the second burger untouched. He rolls his eyes at Stiles, letting out a sigh. "Look, just because our brothers are having some sort of secret love affair is no reason we have to be friends, is it?" He eyes Grey, trying hard not to sneer. "It's not like he's one of us." Whatever that's supposed to mean. He turns to Kay then, lips curling in a small grin. "We had a heckuva time finding a pair that matched, but I wouldn't trade mine for anything. Even if she did break down in the Rockies. Twice. So you have a Hayabusa, huh? Sweet. We should take 'em out for a spin some time, see how fast we can get 'em on the open road." Eve's silver eyes practically twinkle delightedly towards Kay, "you'd be such a lifesaver, Kay. I can make fire with a couple of sticks and a rock, but that's pretty much the extend of my chem knowledge. We're both really good at PE apparently, so..." She shrugs her shoulders, wincing uncertainly, "I'm pretty good with art? And I'm not too shabby when it comes to French." When the other girl toys with her simple shirt, she leans a bit conspiratorially forward and states, "my twitter handle is FashionEvesta." She sits up, taking another spoonful of that fruit cup before asking Grey, "are you planning to join the swim team here too? You totally should. It might or might not be coed, but it would be great to talk about swimming with a friend." She nods her head gratefully to Stiles, "thanks." She seems intrigued to hear what places of note can be found around town, though she does roll her eyes at Aiden when he fails to respond to her earlier words. Deciding it's now or never, she states, "So are you going to teach me to pick locks or what?" She visibly seems to pout, as far as her expression is concerned, when Aiden takes an interest in Kay and her bikes. A tiny glare peeks through her silver-gray eyes at the other girl, whether she meant it to or not. "Wow, Lydia sounds amazing," Kay says, with no small awe. Popular and smart. Wow. Then, with a bright, while smile that is entirely devoid of craftiness or deceit, Kay nods a few times at Aiden and says, "Are you kidding? I'd love that! I even found a great stretch of road out by the woods, but I haven't really given it a spin, yet." As for bike-breaking, Kay taps her chin and thinks on that. "If you want, I can take a glance at your bike. I'm really good at fixing things. It's... kind of one of the only things I'm really good at." Which, speaking of being good at. Those nods are transferred to Eve. "You're on! I can absolutely help you with chemistry. I'm a dancer, and... I can do shop? I know a little Latin, but not much. Mostly to help with all the Chemistry." Naturally, she blushes again even at the small reference to her clothes, but she nods a few times in understanding. She needs the help. Please help! She seems entirely oblivious to any glares of jealousy. She's much too sweet and positive for that. "It's natural for them to be suspicious of authority figures, especially teachers," says LJ, who glances over Brock's shoulder back at the teens. "Think about it: We don't represent 'fun'. We represent problems, punishment, challenges. Not things entirely conducive to doing things their way." But LJ ultimately waves it off. "They'll warm up eventually. You just need prove yourself--words in this context are fairly meaningless." That said, he checks the time against his wristwatch and hmms. "Do you have a class after this?" Grey Dunbar frowns, "Yeah cause I'm so desperate to be part of your little 'pack'", he's guessing he means whatever little group/team thing they're part of, "Just give me twenty minutes after school and I'll clear out of your place". He shrugs to Eve, "I dunno, see what happens I guess". "Guess yer right, prolly." Brock gives his broad shoulders a shrug, and he finds a seat, right in a chair against the wall, where he can view the lunchroom easily, "Ah got a couple left. Till about 7th period, then ah'm done fer the day. All we're doin fer the first day is gettin everyone all oriented and things. Ah guess some of em are a good group of kids, too early ta tell." Brock does seem a little tired. Possibly not getting sleep. Stiles eyes Aiden thoughtfully and then shakes his head. "Yeah, no. Not friends just because of that." He clearly doesn't mind thinking of Liam as a brother. Even if it's complicated. But then, what isn't? He smiles at Eve, nodding a little, and says, "Sure." He flashes a smile to Kay, nodding, and says, "She's pretty awesome, yeah. If I see her around, I'll let her know you guys could use a study partner." Then he reaches over and nudges Grey in the arm. "Hey, dude. Don't act like it'd be so bad to be in the group." Aiden Carver turns to blink somewhat stupidly at Eve. "Wha-huh? Teach you to...What do I look like, some sorta criminal mastermind lockpicker? I just shoved a credit card between the door and jamb until it opened. It's not like I have a bunch of secret tools in my Batman utility belt. Besides, I thought we decided you were too good to let a boy do anything for you. Like, your brain's more important than your looks, or whatever." He narrows his eyes suddenly, lips pressed in a thin line. "Just like Lydia." Snorting, he turns back to Kay, once again grinning. "Nah, it's okay, got her fixed up on the road. Both times. Just a pain, being stranded without my phone for so long. Trip back from Colorado took forever, and I missed seeing Ethan before he took off, and...Well anyway, we should race some time. Just for fun." Then he turns again, this time toward Grey, and lets out an exasperated sigh. "Stop being such a drama queen. Ethan said you can stay, so you can stay. Just leave me enough hot water in the mornings for a shower. And keep outta the basement. There's...stuff down there." He gives Stiles a meaningful glare at this point, then softens his expression a bit when he looks to Grey again. "Seriously, I'm just cranky because...just because. It's not you, okay?" There's that disarming sweetness again. It's so infectious that even Eve starts to relax and let go of her possessiveness over Aiden. She shrugs her shoulders and reluctantly proclaims, "Lydia does sound amazing. I haven't met her yet..." She toys with her lower lip a moment, giggling lightly towards Kay's offers of help, "I'd really appreciate it." She takes a deep breath and sighs it out, "you know what would be really fun? You could build something in shop and...and I could paint over it." She lets that suggestion settle between them, only to catch wind of what's going on at Grey's side of the table. Curiously, she asks, "you have like, parents, right? Or are you umm...lib...freed from them?" Then Aiden gives his response to her question, and with every word, she becomes more and more incensed. A light bulb flickers out somewhere in the lunch room. Silver eyes glare intensely, and she looks about ready to attack him, with the amount of anger on her reddening features. Someone trips while carrying a tray of food and makes a pretty major mess in the middle of the cafeteria. Eve nods her head firmly, "you're right. You're nothing like Batman. You're just some laughable excuse for a jock, but you don't even play football. You can open locked doors and you ride a motorcycle? Please...something tells me -your- looks are just an excuse for a -lack- of a brain." She angrily picks up her tray of food and stomps away, arriving on the other side of Kay, where she finds herself a new seat. She attacks her fruit cup with her spoon, nearly breaking the plastic utensil in the process. "Thank you!" She says to Stiles, nodding a few times. Then, "No problem," Kay beams at Aiden, apparently just trying to be helpful. "I'll meet you outside after school and we can see who's got the best set of wheels." There's more than a little challenge in there, carried over by a short wink. Mercifully, that all comes out before Eve's tirade, and suddenly Kay feels just a little awkward for talking to Aiden. In fact, she cringes just a bit. But! She'll see him later, so no more talking required. "Hi!" She says to Eve, with another bright smile (hopefully to disarm the drama), when the girl sits beside her. "That sounds like a great idea! I'm really good at making solid, useful things, but I'm not very good at making them pretty." Then, suddenly, something seems to occur to her, and she pulls out her phone to check. "Oh, crap. I need to go talk to one of the administrators. It's been so nice to meet everyone! Um, here!" She rummages around in her bag a few times, and then drops a few business cards on the table. Yes, actual business cards. They're simple, and just have her name printed over an embossed fleur de lis. "That's my number. I do some mechanical work and stuff on the side, so," she gestures towards the cards by way of explanation. There's... something missing from the truth there, but she doesn't elaborate. "Eve, do you want to walk with me? If not, I'll see you later!" Then, with another smile and a wave, she exits back into the hallway. As for LJ, he gives the Lion's shoulder a friendly pat. "Well if you need a bit of a break, come find me in the library. Work's pretty slow today, and I've got some time. You can vent, if you need to." Also, he'll have fine, proper British tea. "Don't be too hard yourself." With one of his rare smiles, LJ offers Brock another pat, checks his watch again, and then heads out in the hallway, himself. Grey Dunbar nods to Stiles, "No it wouldn't be bad, I like you guys but Ethan's evil twin has spoken, I'm not one of you", shrugging to himself he gets up, "I gotta go find where my next class is, I'll see you around", grabbing his drink and his bag he heads out of the cafeteria. Brock nods to LJ, "Right. Ah might stop by if ah get the chance." He agrees, sorta tilting her head and turning until a very sound pop is heard and Brock groans at the relief. He tosses up a large hand in wave at the Scot's departure. Grey leaving doesn't escape Brock's notice, and he has to play teacher for just a moment, "Oy, make sure yer back before the bell rings, aye? An make sure ya got yer hall pass." At least he didn't tell him to get back in and sit down. Blinking at Aiden and Eve's exchange, Stiles looks to the former with a raised eyebrow and says, voice thick with sarcasm, "Gosh, Aiden. Now I understand why you get all the girls. Teach me your ways, O Jedi Master." He snorts, then leans forward to call down to Eve, gesturing between Aiden and himself with one finger. "Hey, just so we're clear? Me? Not friends with that guy. His brother's way cooler." He looks back to Aiden, shaking his head, and declares, "Nope. Definitely not Batman material." He catches one of the tossed business cards, giving it a Huh, neat sort of look, and raises a hand to wave to Kay. "Seeya, Kay," he calls after her, taking out his phone to scan in her contact information. He tucks both phone and card away, then glances meaningfully across at Grey. "Hey. Aiden isn't even in the group. He's just jealous." As Grey departs, Stiles scarfs down a few more tater tots, then he too hops up, taking his tray and going to dispose of trash and put things away before he hurries off to do whatever he has left to do with the last few minutes of lunch period. Aiden Carver scowls at Eve's tirade, then gives his eyes a roll when she stomps off to the other side of the table. He casts a glare at Stiles, then watches Grey scurrying away. With a low growl, he snatches one of Kay's cards, pushes himself to his feet, and stomps from the cafeteria, leaving his tray behind at the table. "Knew I shoulda stayed home," he mutters to himself, stuffing the card into his pocket. "Hateschoolhateschoolhateschool...." Eve at first just gives Kay a mild smirk, and an angry roll of her eyes in the general direction of Aiden. She has trouble keeping up with Kay's constant cheerfulness, but she does at least afford a couple agreeable nods of her head. When the other girl stands up to bid her farewells, even though her heart might not be fully into it at this moment, she moderately states, "it was...nice to meet you too, Kay." She blinks in bemusement at the procured cards, but she does take one and slip it into a pocket of her patchwork satchel bag. When Grey begins to leave too, she states, "don't let him get to you. -I- appreciate having you around." Towards Stiles, she says, "I absolutely agree. I guess the world just had to balance things out. One really nice guy, and one...not so much." But then Kay offers to walk out with her, and she glances towards Aiden's fleeing back with a scalding glare, "you know what? Sure. I could use some intelligent conversation." With that, she rises from the table, carries her tray to dispose of its contents in a nearby trash and drop the item itself off, before finally hurrying to catch up with her new friend. During their walk, she is almost certain to vent her outrage, chattering on about how much of a jerk Aiden is and how she just wanted to be an item with him because of his hotness factor, natch. After a few minutes a student comes in talking to a friend about the boys bathroom being flooded, apparently a sink collapsed but he thinks it looks like it was torn off the wall.